Seat and seat cover actuating mechanism for toilets



Nov. 30, 1937.

E. LEFKOWITZ 2,100,906 SEAT AND SEAT COVER ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR TOILETS Filed Dec. 17, 1955 ,2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Emll Lef'kow|t5 ATTORNEY.

E. LEFKOWITZ Nov. 30, 1937.

SEAT AND SEAT COVER ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR TOILETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 17, 1935 INVENTOR. Emil LGfkOWI'g ATTQRNEY.

Tl 1i a 0 Patented Nov. 30, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEAT AND SEAT COVER ACTUATING MECH- ANISM FOR TOILETS 6 Claims.

My invention relates to and has for a purpose the provision of a mechanism, which in its association with a toilet bowl having a hinged seat or cover, is operable under pedal control to raise orlowereither the toilet seat or the toilet seat cover, or both simultaneously, so as to eliminate the necessity for the user to grasp these parts and perform the operation manually to the end of preventing contamination from such parts of the toilet when not in a clean or sanitary condition. It is a purpose of my invention to provide a mechanism of the above described character which is operated entirely mechanically. The power impulse to my invention is furnished by the pedal action of the operator. It is a further purpose of my invention to provide means whereby'one and the same pedal lever and pedal lever extension furnish both the upward or opening movement of the toilet seat and the downward or-closing movement of the toilet seat, and another and adjacent pedal lever and pedal lever extension furnish'both the upward or opening movement of the toilet seat cover and the downward or closing movement of the toilet seat cover. As the operating mechanism of the toilet seat actuating mechanism and the toilet seat cover actuating mechanism are substantially the same, and as toilet installations provided with seats alone are in more general use, I will describe only a toilet seat actuating mechanism and such parts as may be required to operate a toilet seat and toilet seat cover jointly.

J In describing the invention in detail reference will be made to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a toilet bowl having a hinged seat, with my invention attached and shown inthe down or closed position.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1 showing the pedal lever extension in its position adjacent to .the

toilet bowl.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a toilet bowl having a hinged seat with my invention attached and shownin the up or open; position.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is one type of pedal lever extension useful where both toilet seat and toilet seat cover are to be controlled either simultaneously or separately, as desired.

; Fig. 7 is a plan 'of a toilet bowl having a hinged 55 seatand seat cover, with a double pedal lever extension, two pedal levers, two radius rods, two slotted rocking levers, two push rods and two brackets.

Fig. 8 is a cut away view showing my invention included within a toilet bowl that has had a suitable recess prepared within it.

Referring more particulaarly to the drawings, I indicates an ordinary toilet bowl which has the usual type of hinged seat 2 mounted on any type hinges 2a2a. Toilet bowl I is supported on floor 3 shown in section. Floor plate 6 is secured to the underside of floor 3 and extends downward therefrom. 6a designates a depending bracket supporting pedal lever 5 by means of pin B, and is part of fioorJplate 6.. 6a is a bracket supporting slotted rocking lever 8 by means of pin E, and is also integral with the floor plate 6. Pedal 4 has a stem 4a which passes through bushing Baon the floor plate 6, and is pivotally connected to pedal lever 5 by pin A. Pedal lever 5 is adapted for pivotal movement on pin B. Radius rod 1 is pivotally connected to pedal lever 5 by means of pin 0. Radius rod 1 imparts a verticalmotion to slotted rocking lever B through roller -II and pin D. Slotted. rocking lever 8 is adapted for pivotal movement on pin E as a fulcrum and transmits longitudinal movement to a push rod or link 9 through. pin F. Push rod or link 9 passes loosely through bushing 6] of the floor plate. Push rod 9 has a vertical motion which it imparts to bracket 10. Bracket l0 consists of a bar extending transversely of the seat back of and above the axis of pivotal movement of the seat 2 and carrying a pair of rigid arched horns or posts which are firmly secured to the seat. The push rod 9 is pivoted to the outboard end of said bar. [2 is a slot of generally U-shaped form in rocking lever B that guides radius rod 1 from extremity to extremity of rocking lever 8. H is a roller provided to reduce the friction developed in the movement of radius rod 1 in slot l2. 7 I

The novel features of my invention consist of the arrangement of its several parts and the position of the fulcrum of the slotted rocking lever, which is at some point other than on a center between the extremities of the said lever, thus serving the purpose of gaining a mechanical advantage as well as providing a means of reversing the motion of the push rod. When thus constructed and arranged. and assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, that is, toilet seat 2 is closed and radius rod I carrying pin D and roller II is at rest atpoint a: in slot l2 of slotted rocking lever 8, the

operator steps on pedal 4 which gives a downward motion to pin A causing pedal lever 5 to rotate about pin B as an axis moving pin C in an upward direction which in turn moves radius rod 1 in the same direction. Radius rod 1 through pin D and roller H imparts an upward movement to point x on rocking lever 8 which rotates about an axis at pin E giving pin F a downward motion. Pin F carries push rod 9 downward. Push rod 9 acts on bracket ill in a downward direction which raises toilet seat 2 through an arc of ninety degrees or into the open position. The operator removes his foot from pedal lever extension 4 which relieves the pressure on pedal lever 5. This permits radius rod 1 to descend by gravity and move to position y on slotted rocking lever 8.

To lower the seat from the raised positionthe operator steps on pedal 4 which gives a downward motion to pin A causing pedal lever 5 to rotate about pin B giving radius rod 1 an upward motion through pin C. Radius rod 1 in turn gives an upward motion to slotted rocking lever at point y which in turn gives an upward motion to push rod 9 at pin F, slotted rocking lever moving freely about its fulcrum at pin E. Push rod 9 acts on bracket l0 through a ninety degree travel returning toilet seat 2 to the closed position. The operator removes his foot from pedal 4 relieving the pressure on pedal lever 5 which permits radius rod 1 to move by gravity to position a: on slotted rocking lever 8.

I have described my invention only, in connection with a toilet seat. The same operating con-' nections may be used to operate a toilet seat cover by securing bracket II] to the toilet seat cover. Where bothseat and seat cover are to be controlled either separately or simultaneously one set of operating connections consisting of a pedal with pins, a radius rod with pin and roller, a slotted rocking lever with pins, a push rod and bracket together with the supporting floor plate can be attached to the toiletseat and another similar linkage canbe attached to the toilet seat cover, adjacent to each other. Control and selection can be managed by meansofa device as shown in Fig. 6, wherein a pedal extensionAa carried in a bore within pedal extension 4b and connected through its linkage to toilet seat 2b. Pedal lever extension 4b carries a projection 51) connected to the toilet seat cover 2?).

This is shown in section in Fig. 6 and in plan in Fig. 7.

Much of the seat and cover operating mechanism hereinbefore described may be, if desired, housed within a toilet bowl suitably constructed to permit of this, as shown for example in Figure 8, wherein said operating parts are shown as having the same reference characters as in the preceding figures.

In reducing the invention to practice, certain features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may necessitate alterations to which the patentee is entitled provided such alterations are comprehended within the scope of what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. Means for raising and lowering the hinged seat or cover part of a water closet bowl, comprising such a hinged part, a bracket secured to said hinged part and carrying a pivot located rearwardly of the horizontal axis of pivotal movement of said hinged part, a rocking lever having therein a U-shaped slot and pivoted intermediate its ends on a fixed horizontal axis, a link connecting one end of the rocking lever to the pivot on said bracket, a foot operable lever and a link connected to the lever and having a follower operable within the slot of the rocking lever.

2. Means for raising and lowering the hinged seat or cover part of a water closet bowl, comprising such a hinged part, a rocking lever having therein a U-shaped slot and pivoted intermediate its ends on a horizontal axis, a link connecting one end'of the rocking lever to said hinged part rearwardly of' the axis of pivotal movement of the latter, a radius rod having at its upper end a roller mounted to travel from one extremity to the other of said slot, and a manually operable lever pivotally connected to the lower end of the radius rod and normally gravitating into a position to move the roller to the lowermost end of the slot.

3. Means for raising and lowering the hinged seat or cover part of a water closet bowl, comprising such a hinged part, a bracket secured to said hinged part and carrying an operating pivot located rearwardly of the horizontal axis of pivotal movement of the hinged part a rocking lever having therein a U-shaped slot and pivoted intermediate its ends on a fixed horizontal axis, a link connecting one end of the rocking lever to the operating pivot of said bracket, a radius rod having at its upper end a follower mounted to travel from one extremity to the other of said slot, a lever pivotally connected to the lowerend of the radius rod and normally gravitating into a position to move the, roller to the-lowermost end of the slot, and a foot-operatedpedal connected to the lever to pivotally move the latter for the purpose of moving the hinged part from lowered to raised position and vice versa.

4. Means for raising, and lowering the hinged seat or cover part'of a water closet bow1, comprising sucha hinged part, a bracket secured to said hinged part and'carrying an operating pivot located rearwardly, of the horizontal axis of pivotal movement of the hinged. part, a floor plate provided thereon with supporting arms, a. rocking lever pivotally mounted on'one of said supporting arms and having thereina U-shaped slot, a link connecting one end of the rocking lever to the operating pivot of said hinged-part, a radius rod provided at its upper end with a 01- lower extending into the slot ofv the rocking lever and adapted for travel from: one, extremityto the other of said slot, a lever connected to the lower end of the radius rod and fulcrumed on one of the supporting arms of the floor plate in a position to permit the radius rod to normally gravitate into the lowermost end of said U- shaped slot, and a foot pedal connected to the lever to elevate the radius rod to pivotally move the hinged part from closed to open position and vice versa.

5. Means for raising and lowering the hinged seat or cover part of a water closet bowl, comprising a water closet bowl having therein. a chamber, such a hinged part thereon, a bracket secured to said hinged part. and carrying an operating pivot located rearwardly of the horizontal axis of pivotal movement of the hinged part, a fioor plate within the chamber 'of the 'bowl and having supporting arms, a rocking lever pivoted on one of said supporting arms within thechamher and having a U-shaped slot, a link connecting one end of the rocking lever with the operating pivot of the hinged part, a radius rod also in the chamber and provided at its upper end with a follower operating in the slot of the rocking lever, a lever also in the chamber of the bowl and fulcrumed to another supporting arm of the floor plate with one end of the lever pivotally connected to the lower end of the radius rod, and a pedal pivoted to the other end of the radius rod and extending through the wall of the bowl into accessible manually operable position.

6. In an assembly of the character described, a water closet bowl, a seat pivotally hinged on said bowl for pivotal movement on a horizontal axis, a cover also hinged on said bowl for pivotal movement on a horizontal axis, a bracket on the seat and a bracket on the cover, the. bracket on the seat extending rearwardly beyond the hinge thereof and carrying rearwardly of said hinge an operating pivot, and the bracket on the cover extending rearwardly of the hinge thereof and carrying rearwardly of said hinge an operating pivot, a, link depending from each of said operating pivots, a rocking lever secured to the. lower end of each link, each rocking lever being provided therein with a U-shaped slot, a radius rod for operating each rocking lever and each rod having at its upper end a follower extending into the slot of the corresponding rocking lever, a pair of foot operated levers respectively pivoted to the radius rod, and a, pair of coaxial foot operated plungers respectively connected to said foot operated levers to impart movement to the latter. EMIL LEFKOW'ITZ. 

